Team USA basketball player Kobe Bryant, back left, reacts as he watches the match between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro. Seated to his left are his wife Vanessa and daughters Natalia and Gianna.

Roger Federer of Switzerland screams out in joy as the ball drops out, giving him a point in a lengthy third set against Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro. After nearly five hours, Federer finally put Del Potro away at 19-17 in the third set at the London Olympics.

A lens on the Olympics: Shooting the Federer/Del Potro tennis match

Wimbledon: We’re deep into the third set and Roger Federer is on the ropes. Down a break and facing defeat, he rushes the net as his opponent, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, powerful and tenacious, lines up a passing shot and fires it down the line, out of Federer’s reach. Olympic defeat is sure to come to one of the greatest tennis players in history. I’m in the front row at the most hallowed of tennis grounds. Bright sun and dark clouds pass over us like sightseers in double-decker buses hoping to get a glimpse of history. Nearly four hours have passed since the first point and, in a split second, I’m deep in the middle of a truly magic moment. Del Potro’s rocket ticks off the top of the net and lands inches out of bounds. Only a few feet from me, Federer unleashes a primal yell, drowned out by thousands of screaming, satisfied spectators. He went on to win the third set, 19-17, and advance to the final against Great Britain’s Andy Murray.

This is why I love covering the Olympics. Every day, I am witness to someone’s great moment of victory or defeat. For most, it’s the apex of their sporting lives, for other’s like Federer, it’s just another peak in the roller-coaster ride of greatness.

I try to remain unaffected by what’s happening in front of me. It’s a requirement. If I’m distracted for a split second, I might miss capturing an image that could live on for decades. They’re quite rare, but that’s what I’m truly searching for with my camera. Today, it’s all I can do not to let the moment fill me up. As a young boy who admired Arthur Ashe and Rod Laver, I taught myself how to play tennis by hitting balls off our garage door in Oceanside, Calif. I never reached any level of proficiency that I could call myself a tennis player. Just J.V. doubles with my friend Mike Bagg at San Dieguito High. I had a rocket serve, but feet of stone. The serve is gone, the feet are even heavier now. But I’ve loved the sport forever and finally, I’m here. It’ll be a while until the goosebumps are gone.

This is the second in a series of dispatches from our photographers covering the Olympic Games.

1 Comment

Bryan Chan thanks for your great post as well! You know I'm a big fan of Tennis and my favorite in the Tennis is Federer. And it is the post what I was in the hunt for a long time. Just a quick note to tell you that i have a passion for the topic "Tennis Issue and news" at hand. Thanks the head up and keep posting like this…………………